HAMAS' strategy

Netanyahu says that as long as HAMAS continues to hold over 200 hostages, he will continue holding over 2 million hostages (the population of Gaza).

Meanwhile, he will continue the attacks that kill some of both groups of hostages.

*Pleas to end the suffering in Gaza are growing louder, but neither side actually wants a ceasefire.*

In Gaza, both sides are committing war crimes. Even if they both prefer to continue them, the rest of the world should insist they stop. Israel, in particular, can fight HAMAS if it wants to but only if it avoids committing war crimes.

Note how this situation differs from the war in Ukraine. Putin orders the Putin forces to commit unceasing war crimes, but Ukraine doesn't retaliate in kind. Putin is committing aggression but Ukraine is not.

Thus, Ukraine is entitled to keep fighting to recover the territory that the Putin forces have seized, but the Putin forces are not entitled to continue their war of aggression or their war crimes.